Automobile-curtain carrier.



H. E. RANDALL.

AUTOMOBXLE cunmw CARRIER.

APPLICATION FILED MAY14. I915.

Patented Sept. 11, 1917.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

Jar-rial? MM H. E. RANDALL.

AUTOMOBILE CURTAIN CARRIER.

AFPLICATON FILED NIA\"14 HHS.

wuwzwui 7 )a 1 M2 IM W mm m L m 4 a M un Z 2 6 m M m fi I y m M0 x m /W m H. E. RANDALL. AUTOMOBILE CURTAIN CARRIER. APPLICATION mm MAY 14 1915.

Patented Sept. 11, 1917.

3 SHEETS SHEET 3.

M13014 to r $012M UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

BARBIE E. RANDALL. OF VANDALIA, OHIO.

AUTOMOBILE-CURTAIN CARRIER.

Application filed May 14, 1915.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, Hnnnm E. RANDALL, a citizen of the United States, residing at Vandalia, in the county of Montgomery and State of Ohio, have invented new and useful Improvements in Automobile-Curtain Carriers, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to curtain carriers for automobiles and similar vehicles, whereby access to and exit from the automobile is facilitated, the invention having for its object to produce a curtain carrier of such construction that it may he readily ap ilied to and removed from the door of the machine and when in place on the door and used in conjunction with the curtain, it practically converts an open automobile into a limousine.

With the above general object in view, the invention consists in the novcl construc tion, combination and arrangement of parts, as herein described, illustrated and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings:'

Figure 1 is a side elevation of a sufiicient portion of an automobile to illustrate the application of the present invention thereto, showing one of the doors open.

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of what is hereinafter termed the door plate.

Fig. 3 is a similar view of the lower end portion of the curtain carrier or standard.

Fig. 4 is a longitudinal section showing the relation between the door plate and standard.

ing the locking means for preventing relative movement thereof.

Fig. 12 is a perspective view of another form of standard. a

Fig. 13' is a cross section through the same.

Fig 14 is :m clevution, showing the rela- Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 11, 1917.

Seria1No.28,156.

tion between the standard and door plate and the manner of connwting and disconnecting the same.

Fig. 15 is a perspecthe view of another form of door plate.

Fig. .16 is a similar in low of another form of standard.

Fig. 17 is a cross si 'dlion through the'parts shown in Figs. 15 .w-l 16.

Fig. 18 is a (2% section showing a rearrangement of th parts shown in Fig. 17.

Referring to the drawings A generally designatesv an automobile, 2 one of the doors thereof. 3 the top and l. the side curtains, one of which is shown as supported or can ried by the door 2 and adapted to he opened and closed simnlt nevInstr therewith and thereby.

In carrying out the present invention I employ a curtain carrier or standard 5 of suitahle height in a cordance with the vertical. extent of the side curtain twhich is attached to said standard. aid curtain 4. being provided with a pocket 6 to receive the standard 5. said standard being slipped into said pocket trom the hottoin end of the latter before the standard is fastened. to the door. The standard is offset between its ends as shown at 'i' to extend over hut not touch the top edge of the door and permit the lower end portion of the tandard to bear against the inside far:- of the door to which it is secured by the means now to he described.

Referring primarily to Figs. 2 to 5 inclusive which show the preferred embodiment of this invention. it will he seen that the lower end portion of the standard 5 is channeled as shown at 8 or provided with flanges 9 to enable the same to fit around or embrace a door plate 10 which is also prefernblv channeled as shown at 11 or provided with flanges 12 extending longitudinally of the opposite margins thereof. The door plate 10 is provided with holes 13 adapted to receive screws whereby it is fastoned to the inner face of the door in fixed relation to the latter. Intermediate its ends the door plate 10 is provided with a key hole slot 14 the larger end of which is at the top, the same being designed to receive the eye-shaped member 15 of a clamping element, the member 15 being provided with a shank 16 having an enlarged shoulder 17 shown in the form of a head upon said shank, the shoulder 17 being of such size that it may be passed through the larger end of the key hole slot 14, permitting the shank 16 to be moved downwardly along the narrower portion of said slot. Connected to the eye member 15 is a cam lever 18, the head 19 of which is eccentric to the pivot 20 which connects said lever with the eye 15, the eccentric face of the cam lever being so arranged that when the lever is moved downwardly, the shoulder 17 is drawn tightly against the inner face of the door plate 11 thereby binding the standard against said door plate and preventing relative movement of said parts. The shank 16 passes through a hole 21 in the standard 5. Instead of forming the door plate 10 with a key hole slot, said plate indicated at 10 in Fig. 6 may be provided with a slot 14 which opens out at the upper extremity of the door plate as shown in Fig. 6.

It will be understood from the foregoing description that the door plate is fastened permanently to the inside face of the door and the standard 5 which carries the clamping device hereinabove described, is connected to the door plate by entering the part 17 in the slot of the door plate and then sliding the standard in a downward direction. \Vhen the shank 16 reaches the lower end of the slot in the door plate, the two parts are firmly clamped together by the operation of the cam lever 18.

Referring to Fi s. 7 to 11 inclusive, it will be observed that lnstead of providing the door plate with a slot as hercinabove dcscribcd, the door plate may be formed as shown at 10 in Fig. 8, said plate being fastened directly to the door and provided with outwardly extending headed studs 22 while the standard which is of the same channel iron construction, or flat, if preferred, is pro vided with upper and lower slots 23 and 24: respectively adapting the standard to be placed over the door plate until the studs 22 are received in the slots of the standard, whereupon the standard is slid down- Wardly until it reaches its final position. When such position is obtained, relative movement between the door plate and stand ard is prevented by a locking device shown in the form of a hook 25 pivotally mounted at 26 on the standard 5", the hook being adapted to engage under one of the studs 22 and being provided with an operating finger piece or projection 27 as shown in Fig. 11.

Instead of forming the standard of Cl1t11- nel iron or a flat bar as previously described, it may consist of angle iron as shown in Figs. 12 and 14 and used in conjunction with the door plate 10' shown in Fig. 8. The standard 5 shown in Fig. 12 is provided at its lower extremity with an open longitudinal slot 28 and at a higher elevation with an open laterally extending or transverse slot 29, said slots being adapted to recti e the studs 22 of the door plate 10". A 'latch 30 is pivotally connected at 31 to the standard 5 and has a forked or slotted extremity as at 32 to engage one of the studs 22 above referred to. The latch 30 is provided on its inner face with a projection 33 which enters a socket 3 1 in the standard 5. In Fig. 14, the manner of connecting the standard with the door plate is illus trated by dotted and full lines, the standard being firstinclined to one side in relation to the fixed door plate while the forked end of the latch 30 is engaged with the up per stud 23. Then the standard 5 is rocked to a vertical position, causing the slot -29 to receive the stud 22 and at the same time causing the projection 33 of the latch to snap into the socket 3-1 in the standard. The standard and door plate are thus locked against relative movement in all directions.

In Figs. 15 to 17 inclusive, I have shown the door plate 10 as of dove-tail shape in cross section. provided with the inwardly converging side edges 35. The standard 5 is of corresponding shape in cross section or provided with the inwardly converging flanges 3G enabling the standard to be slid in a downward direction over the door plate 10 and when in place, any suitable means may be provided for clamping or locking the members 5 and 10 together thereby preventing relative movement of said members in all. directions.

Under the arrangement shown in Fig. ii, the face 37 being of less area than the door plate bears directly against the inside face of the door. In Fig. 18, the door plate i ndicatcd at 10" is reversed or turned side for side as compared with the arrangement shown in Fig. 1'? and the wider face thereof is disposed toward the inside face of the door thereby enabling the standard 5 which corresponds with the standard 5 of Fig. 17 to he slid downwardly between the door plate 10 and the inside face of the door. Again any suitable means may be employed for clamping or looking the members 5 and 10 together to prevent relative movement thereof in any direction.

From the foregoing description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, it will now be understood that the curtain supporting or carrying standard is easily, quickly and conveniently fastened to the door by the means hereinabove particularly described. It is the work of a moment to slip the carrier into the pocket 4 of the curtain and then place the offset lower end portion of said standard into interlocked engagement with the door-plate or, in other words, a plate secured in fixed relation to the door. The offset 7 of the carrier may, if desired, rest directly upon the top of the door but in order to avoid man-ring the finish of the door, it is preferred to allow the offset 7 to he al'kunged slightly above the top of the door and have the standard as a whole supported directly by the door plate. \Vhen the curtain is thus attached to the door by the means described and as shown in l ig. 1, an open touring ear carrying side curtains is converted in eli'ect into a closed limousine, the. operator and passengers entering and leaving the machine With the same facility as in a. car having no side curtains or a limousine. The standards may be ol plain or channel iron desired.

\Vhat I claim is:-

1. The coi'nbinalion with a vehicle door, of a side curtain carrier embodying a longitudinally channeled curtain holding standard extending ahore the top of the door to a point substantially on a level with the top cover, means for detachably fasteningsaid standard to said door, said means comprising a standard retaining door plate receivable in the channel of said standard and in relation to which said standard is slidable, and means for clamping said standard and door plate togethrr includ ng a pivotally lnoiinted cam lever.

2. The combination with a vehicle door, of a side curtain carrier embodying a long gitudinally channeled curtain holdingstand' ard extending above the top of the door to a point substantially on a level with the top cover, means for detachably fastening said standard to said door, said means comprising a standard retaining door plate receivable in the channel of said standard and in relation to which said standard is slidable, and means for clamping said standard and top of the door to a door plate together including a pivotally mounted cam lever carried by said standard.

3, The combination with a vehicle door, of a side curtain carrier embodying a curtain holding standard extending above the point substantially on a level with the top cover, and means for detuehahly fastening said standard to said door, said means con'iprising a standard retaining door plate fastened to the door and in relation to which said standard is slidahle one of said ltltlllbOP-S having a laterally opening channel extending longitudinally of one i'ace thereof to slidingly receive the other member. and clamping means carried by said standard slidahle in relation to the door plate. and adapted to engage the latter toprm'ent vertical movement of thestandard,

4. The eolnhination with a vehicle door, of a side curtain carrier emhodying a channeled curtain holding standard extending ahore the top of the door to a point substan tially on a level with the top cover, means for detarhahlv fastening said standard to said door. said means embodying a slotted door plate. a headed projection on said standard shil'ialile in relation thereto and insertihle through said slotted door plate, and means for shifting said projection into clamping engagement with the door plate to prevent \el'iit'nl movement of said standard in relation to the door plate. in testimony whereol .l' allix my Signature in presence of two witnesses.

'l l llltl l 1. RANDALL. \Vitnesses:

(Jimnmcs E. WlNs'rnAD, WM. If. Gmson. 

